Mariah Carey and Rakim “Type Dangerous” Performance Slammed For Omitting Eric B.
Buckle up.
Mariah Carey’s return to the BET Awards stage was supposed to be a celebration of DJs. Instead, it sparked a fire cooking a slab of beef. Louis “Uncle Louie” Gregory, who works closely with legend Eric B., criticized his glaring absence from the show. Carey performed her latest during her performance of “Type Dangerous,” which is instantly recognizable to hardcore heads.
Carey debuted “Type Dangerous,” her new song that samples the classic “Eric B. Is President.” She repeatedly pays homage to the essential role DJs have played in Hip-Hop. Rakim appeared onstage, but the song’s subject, Eric B., was nowhere to be found. On top of that, the original verse was the same almost word for word, but “Eric B. make ’em clap to this” was changed to “Mariah C make ’em clap to this.” Ouch!
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Gregory, who was looped into the track early on and believed it was intended as a tribute to DJs, didn’t mince words in his public statement.
“Mariah Carey performed ‘Type Dangerous’ on a stage that featured Rakim–but not Eric B. No call was made. No invitation. No acknowledgment,” Gregory said to AllHipHop. “This is not just an oversight. It is an erasure.”
Eric B. & Rakim are considered one of the most influential duos in Hip-Hop history. Eric B’s turntable skills, presence and production reshaped rap music in the late 1980s. Of course, Ra did his game-changing thing, too. But, people like Louie are giving it all a massive side eye.
“How do you make a song about DJs… and leave off Eric B, the very DJ it is built around?” Gregory continued. “In a culture where DJs built the foundation, it is blasphemy.”
Of Mariah Carey he said, “She has always shown love.” But, Rakim is a different story. He called on Rakim and his team for accountability. “If he did not make that call to Eric B. himself, someone managing his career failed him and failed the culture.” This could be the issue? Do Eric and Rakim have a strained relationship?
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This has been on “the culture’s mind” for quite some time. But this is about 30-40 years, their heyday. Is there an obligation to Eric B. after so many years? Give me an answer.
Gregory ended his exclusive statement to us with a with a clear and resounding message: “The DJ is not a background character in this story. The DJ is the story. Eric B. is a legend, a pioneer and a pillar of this entire movement.”
Hip-Hop continues to evolve, but is this erasure? Is this personal? This is deep. What do you think? Check out the new song from Mariah Carey and also Uncle Louis’s whole unedited statement to AllHipHop.
Statement to AllHipHop.com on Mariah Carey’s BET Awards Performance of “Type Dangerous”
By Louis “Uncle Louie” Gregory
When I was first looped in on Type Dangerous, the new Mariah Carey record, it was introduced to me as a tribute, a record made to show love to the DJs. A beautiful gesture in concept. The song samples Eric B. Is President and repeatedly acknowledges the contribution of DJs, with a specific nod to one of the greatest, Eric B of Eric B & Rakim.
That is why what I saw tonight during the BET Awards left me stunned.
Mariah Carey performed Type Dangerous on a stage that featured Rakim. But not Eric B. No call was made. No invitation. No acknowledgment.
How do you make a song about DJs, a song sampling Eric B. Is President, a song thanking DJs, and leave off Eric B, the very DJ it is built around?
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This is not just an oversight. It is an erasure. And in a culture where DJs built the foundation, it is blasphemy. Both Eric B and Rakim should have been there. That is hip-hop. That is history. That is the truth.
I find it hard to believe that Mariah would knowingly disrespect the culture. She has always shown love. But Rakim knows better. If he did not make that call to Eric B himself, someone managing his career failed him and failed the culture.
We must do better. The DJ is not a background character in this story. The DJ is the story. Eric B is a legend, a pioneer, and a pillar of this entire movement. If we say we love hip-hop, we need to show it, especially in moments like this.
Put some respect on the DJ.